Sunday, March 23, 2008

Kurt Cobain smoked oregano with his mum

His disaffected lyrics and fierce integrity entranced a generation, but a new documentary featuring previously unheard interviews with Nirvana front-man Kurt Cobain reveals how he was once forced to smoke oregano with his mother after stealing her cannabis stash.

In About A Son, due for DVD release on the 30th of March, Cobain also talks frankly about clashes with his bandmates that nearly caused him to leave the band, and about his flirtation with homosexuality at school.

Cobain reveals clashes with bandmates

The film contains interviews with Cobain recorded by journalist Michael Azerrad a year before his suicide in April 1994.

According to the Independent, Cobain recounts regularly stealing cannabis from his mother’s hidden stash and replacing it with herbs to cover his tracks.

"Eventually she just had a bag of oregano sitting in her jewellery drawer," he recalls.

"One night she offered me and my friend to come down and smoke some with her - so we had to sit there and smoke oregano."

About A Son features many personal anecdotes about Cobain’s childhood in Aberdeen, Washington.

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He reveals that he was branded as gay at school after he befriended a homosexual fellow student.

"I started being proud of being gay, even though I wasn't. I almost found my identity."

Discussing his relationship with Nirvana bandmates Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, Cobain reveals rifts within the band over songwriting credits.

"It was a really big deal for Krist and Dave. They sincerely felt that they deserved just as much song-writing credit as I do, which is bull***t, just bull***t!"

Since his death Cobain's wife Courtney Love has been locked in disputes with Grohl, now frontman of the Foo Fighters, over the legacy of Nirvana's music, even suggesting that Cobain tried to kick Grohl from the band in his will.

Cobain explains his atraction to his wife in the interviews, saying “She made me feel like a rebel.

“It’s so easy to play songs with Courtney. Every time we jam on something we write a great song.”

It has often been alledged, but strongly denied, that Cobain wrote songs for his wife's band, Hole.